Why choose ethical sandals?
If you were looking for some good news at the start of this week, here it is: there are only 6 weekends left until spring 💐 While the winter season is certainly a cozy refuge where we like to snuggle up, we have to admit that the months of February and March are generally spent desperately watching for the sun's return... So, on this winter Monday, we wanted to look ahead a bit and let the sunshine of spring brighten your mind!
Changing seasons are great opportunities to wipe the slate clean and take stock, so you can get off to a fresh start. Since fashion is our favorite subject at Mapache, you can easily imagine that the wardrobe is one of the first places we look when it comes to our big spring cleaning 🌪 And what a joy it is to rediscover our spring-summer items while neatly organizing them in our closet...
Once this lovely reunion is behind us, it's time to get down to business. This "dressing switch" is also an opportunity for us to sort through our clothes and accessories. Because from one year to the next, tastes change and desires evolve. We notice this all the more in the current context where our relationship with fashion is becoming more complex, a phenomenon particularly linked to the emergence of new eco-responsible challenges.
But let's get back to the point! You are doing your essential spring closet clear-out and then, disaster. You want to throw that printed dress out the window, these denim jeans have loooong since seen better days, and this white t-shirt shrank after being put on the wrong machine setting. Oops. But most importantly, is it really necessary to mention that the leather straps on your favorite pair of sandals are nothing but a shadow of their former selves?
The bottom line: all you have left to do is go in search of new pieces to complete your spring-summer wardrobe. And that is precisely the purpose of this new blog post, which will help you find not a new dress or a new t-shirt, but new sandals, since here at Mapache, we know a thing or two about them, you see ;)
For this article, we decided to add a little specificity to our quest for the perfect sandal. Indeed, it shouldn't just be gorgeous and timeless. In 2023, your future pair of sandals must also be ethical! Below you will discover that this eco-responsible criterion has many advantages, and we hope that reading these few paragraphs will be useful as spring arrives ☀️
How to identify an ethical sandal?
In this first part, we'll let you put on your raincoat and bowler hat because it's time to go into investigation mode 🔎 The first step in learning to detect the ethical potential of your pair of sandals is obviously to look at the brand's rhetoric... but that's not all! Nowadays, the bane of brands comes down to two words: greenwashing. If you've never heard of this concept before, it simply consists of putting forward ecological arguments to improve a brand's responsible image when, in reality, it's not always as rosy (or rather, green, in this case!) as it seems.
Consequently, many of them have now understood the importance of building communication that is both transparent and, above all, highly informative regarding the origin and manufacturing of their items (which is exactly what we have implemented at Mapache). Because telling people what they want to hear is fine, but telling them the truth is even better 🌿
Now the following question arises: how do you know if the brand is reliable? Don't panic, we have gathered for you the three key criteria to keep an eye on in the future.
- Transparency
At the risk of repeating ourselves, transparency is one of the fundamental criteria of an eco-responsible brand. In other words, if you visit a fashion e-shop and you can't find a webpage providing information on how the products are made in just a few clicks: run away. A brand you can completely trust will be able to take you behind the scenes of its collection, in particular by focusing on the following two points...
- The choice of materials
This is an important aspect that you should consider seriously, since the nature of the materials used to make your sandals must imperatively be synonymous with quality and durability. In this sense, avoid synthetic materials and instead favor high-quality materials such as vegetable-tanned leather, which we also use at Mapache to make our woven leather sandals. We recently wrote a complete article on vegetable tanning if you wish to learn more about it!
- Manufacturing
Finally, this last point is by far the most essential, insofar as it encompasses several criteria such as the place and method of manufacture, as well as the working conditions in which your sandals are crafted (for example, do the workers receive fair pay and work in good conditions?). At Mapache, we make it a point of honor to respect the fundamentals of artisanal manufacturing, thus allowing you to trace the entire journey of your summer sandal, from the tanning of the leather to its weaving in our Mexican workshops.
The 3 advantages of eco-responsible sandals
Advantage no. 1 - Durability and quality : let's be honest, the price of your pair of ethical sandals will undoubtedly be higher than that of a pair bought from a fast-fashion retailer. The difference? You are paying the price for high-quality, durable sandals that you will keep for more than one season (provided you take care of them!).
Advantage no. 2 - Supporting an eco-responsible approach : nowadays, your purchases carry strong symbolism. You are no longer just a consumer, but a "consom-actor"! By choosing to invest in a new pair of ethical sandals, you are providing support to the brand but, above all, to its eco-responsible approach. Your purchase will allow the brand to grow and make the fashion world more sensible. In other words: the planet thanks you, and so do we ;)
Advantage no. 3 - Traceability of your pair : by bringing awareness to your consumption, you become more sensitive to the impact of your purchases on people and the environment. You realize that your fashion splurges are not without consequences and you place greater importance on knowing the origin of the pieces in your wardrobe. For example, wearing a pair of Mapache sandals while having the ability to observe their manufacturing on our Instagram account provides real satisfaction! Try it, you'll see ✨
Where can I find my next pair of responsible sandals?
That's it, we've managed to convince you to invest in eco-responsible sandals for the spring-summer 2023 season! The next step will therefore be to find THE gem that will perfectly match the contents of your wardrobe. And you see us coming... As a brand of handmade sandals in Mexico, we can only advise you to treat yourself to your first (or second, who knows!) pair of Mapache this year 🌵
Are you looking for a closed-toe, timeless sandal? We recommend our iconic Alegre, which comes in many colors. Do you prefer an open sandal? Go discover our Ola model and its wrap-around laces, or even our Tehuacan with its delicate weave.
We'll also take this opportunity to drop a very sunny piece of news: our new collection will be available in March on our e-shop 🌞 You now know where to find your next pair of responsible sandals!
